Rumor has it that some of you don’t like Sabbath. One reason cited is the lack of Sabbath-appropriate PC games, not that some of you haven’t tried to pass off Soldier of Fortune as somehow preparing you for service in God’s army.

And there’s the teen girl who tried to beat Sabbathkeeping by quoting Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man.”

True confession: I used to play Bible pocket billiards on Sabbath. I’d quote a verse, then line up a shot: “‘Do everything without complaining,’ Philippians 2:14. Eight-ball in the side pocket.” Wham. Game over.

Why is Sabbath such a drag for so many kids and others?

 Here’s what I think: We’ve been snookered. Tricked. Duped. And Satan is laughing all the way from here to sundown.

The way I see it, he’s convinced us that the Sabbath is, by God’s design, supposed to be big-time boring. And since computer games and Hilary Duff keep us entertained six days a week, why should the Sabbath spoil our fun? Besides, doesn’t the Bible say something about calling the Sabbath a delight?* Well, having fun is pretty delightful, isn’t it?

But maybe Sabbath fun and delight involve more than our sin-tainted minds understand. Maybe they involve connecting with our Creator in an extra-special way, and discovering ways that He’s constantly filling our lives with meaning, joy, and just plain fun.

Like the Hubble telescope, true Sabbathkeeping opens our spiritual eyes and hearts to other-worldly viewpoints. Heavenly ideas for thanking God and serving others enter our minds during time that otherwise might have been devoted to Tetris.

Don’t get me wrong—God wants us to be happy on Sabbath. I’m just suggesting that we ponder which direction our Sabbath choices are taking us—earthward or upward.

Now, a word about SCPS—Sabbath Comatose Parent Syndrome. If your parent falls unconsious shortly after lunch each Sabbath, he or she is likely suffering from SCPS. As a cure, you could hold an ice cube to their bare feet, but it’s safer just to let them sleep it off.

            

*See Isaiah 58:13.